Pastor's Corner

September, 2004

For a sport fan like myself, I really enjoy watching the Olympics. I enjoy watching the competitions among the best of athletes. The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat are written on their faces. You can sense their anxiety from looking at their facial expressions while they are waiting for the official result.

Though Olympic is just another worldwide sport competition, it has all the elements of “Life” itself. We are taught to compete ever since a child. Students from Hong Kong know it too well the competition in its education system. Comparing with others isn’t healthy. A better way is to have the right motives to compete with ourselves—thrive to maximize our potential. All of us should learn from those athletes who train hard to succeed in life, believing there is only one life to live on earth. Once you let opportunities passed by, they will never return. Someone had said that opportunity is like a “bald-headed” fellow with a handful of hair on the forehead. The only way to grasp this fellow is to hold onto his hair as he approaches you, at the right moment; otherwise, once he passes by you, he’ll be gone.

I like to watch the award ceremony in the Olympic. It gives me “goose-bumps” when athletes from China or United States stand on the platform receiving the “Gold Medal” while the National Anthem is being played. Unlike other countries in the past that gave out a medal and a bouquet, Greece, the hosting country, gives a crown made of out of weaves, and of course, a medal. That crown represents something special. I believe it was the original award given when the game started many years ago in Greece .

Time has changed. Winners today also receive endorsements and cash prizes, but in the beginning, athletes trained to compete for the love of the game, the pride of their country, and the “crown” on their head. In Life as well, we engage into a lifetime of training in hope of gaining success. Unlike in sport where there is a definite winner, success in life is difficult to measure. How do you measure success in life? Is making “six-figure” success? Is having a big house success? Is having a loving family success? Is “success” measurable? Different people will have different answers. As Christians, I believe the ultimate success is when Jesus Christ puts a crown on our head when we stand before the Judgment Seat. According to the New Testament, there are three crowns we may receive on that day: the Crown of Righteousness (II Tim. 4:8), the Crown of Life (James 1:12 ; Rev. 2:10), and the Crown of Glory (I Peter 5:4). What a day it will be when we stand on that platform listening to the New National Anthem!

Before I sign off, let me encourage each of you to take a moment now to thank the One who will place the crown(s) on your head one day (I pray that everyone will receive at least one crown). Without the Crown of Thorns on His head, there will not be any crown for any of us.